F is Four

F's "Finking Face"-a tribute to her mom's thinking face.

 Fantastic F is four years old today.  Her personality really hasn't changed all that much this year from last.  She has become a little more sassy ("Mom, I will only do what I want to do!), but she still keeps us in stitches with her exclamations and funny stories.

We had a little party with a pink and purple cake and some presents.  Grandma and Grandpa came over for a visit.  Big Sister L called F on the phone today.  She is just so tickled that she is four years old...until I say she has to sit on time out for four minutes now!

Happy Birthday F!

Life Cycles

We got a fun package from the UPS man yesterday!  Thirty-two live caterpillars!

They are much bigger than the ones we ordered in 2008, so I'm sure they won't be hanging around as caterpillars as long.  We are going into a Life Cycle unit in our little homeschool and I am planning on having the kids do real science experiments.  They will present their projects at a science fair at the end of May.

The first thing I had to do was figure out how to keep them from being harassed by the younger set of kids.  At first I was going to set up the chick brooder, but 32 little cups don't take up that much room.  They are living in a pizza box and we attached little velcro dots to the bottom of the cups to keep them from tipping over.

We moved them from the big cup to the smaller cups using a paint brush.  Did you know these caterpillars have silk, just like a spider?  They create little webs inside their cups which make it really hard to move them, even with a paintbrush!

We held our first "Observation Lab" today and each kid chose a caterpillar to be "theirs."  They will watch their caterpillars grow and change over the course of the next few weeks.  The other caterpillars will be exposed to different temperatures to see how crysallid formation and butterfly emergence is affected.  We will also take a few out of their cups to experiment with tropisms. 

And just in case you think I came up with all these experiment ideas by myself...I didn't.  I have a cool book that I ordered in 2008 with the caterpillars (only 5 back then).  The book says that kids as young as Kindergarten can do the experiments, but back then IJ was my only school aged kid and he was the Kindergartener.  A preschooler, a toddler, a baby on the way, and the flu kept me from overdoing it last time!  It's different now...except the whole toddler and baby on the way part...

Nesting

Each day I obsess over something new.  Sunday it was freezer meals.  Monday I tackled egg dishes (eight batches of Dutch Baby batter-8 dozen eggs, plus two quiches-another 2 dozen, and 20 egg and sausage burritos-3 dozen eggs).  Tuesday I had to renew my driver's license because I somehow forgot it expired on my last birthday...again.  Four years ago I was pregnant with F, so that is my excuse.  And since I had to drive so far, I stopped by JoAnn and scored some awesome fabric deals.  So that meant that Wednesday I obsessed over diaper sewing.  And I'm getting pretty good at making diapers, if I do say so myself!

D modeling his baby sister's new diaper: pink isn't really his color!

The diaper in the picture is considered an "All in One" because it has a waterproof layer, several absorbent layers snapped inside (snapped for easy removal and quick laundering), and a snap closure (so we don't have to look for diaper pins).  There is even a pocket to stuff even more absorbent layers!  I have no problem pinning diapers.  In fact, I prefer to pin.  But I can never find the pins when I need them and I own a professional quality snap press, so snaps are it.  These diapers sell for $30; I can make them for less than $2.

"I've been a very bad dog!"

The dogs are driving me crazy.  M heard on the news that there have been an increase in small earthquakes in the area.  He thinks the dogs can sense the earthquakes and it is affecting their behavior.  One dog has had three accidents inside at night-I stepped in one in the dark and was happy to wake the Master for clean up duty.  Another dog won't sleep in her bed (that would be The Pathetic Doberman) and prefers to sleep right outside our bedroom door.  The Pirate keeps sneaking in with the boys.  We set up a baby gate at the end of the hall to keep the dogs where they belong.  That just makes them bark and whine at the gate.  I got to wear M's earplugs last night after giving him such a powerful evil eye that he thought another earthquake hit! Pathetic Doberman has also returned to her annoying habit of following me wherever I go.  You have no idea how annoying it is to have a dog follow you around nonstop.  She is worse than the kids.  At least the kids understand the need for privacy!

Earth Day

Once upon a time, I had a friend who hated Earth Day.  She told me we made funny friends because I like Earth Day and Earth Day made her want to burn tires and drive around in her gas guzzler throwing trash out the window.  She was right; we did make funny friends.

A Happy Earth Day Indeed

Today I celebrated Earth Day by recycling my plastic...but I didn't know it was Earth Day when I did it.  I was just on my way to town to obey my inner urge to purchase massive quantities of meat and make freezer meals.  Then I bought throw away dishes and disposable diapers (although I cut out pieces for more cloth diapers this morning) and LED light bulbs and storage containers for hand-me-downs.  I think I'm well-balanced, don't you?

While I was gone, M rototilled the garden and planted tomato starts.  He mowed (parts of) the lawn.  And he got his BBQ groove on with some Copper River Sockeye and steak.  For this I am extremely thankful because I came home and put together 13 freezer meals and have three more trays of meat and dozens of eggs to process tomorrow.

The kids took another dip in the pond this afternoon.  They are so lucky to live here!  Now we are enjoying a delicious dinner that reminds me of the days when we used to come down here for vacations.  We are only missing three special people.

Pitbull Piranha

Our meat birds are growing like crazy.  We've had to separate them from the layer chicks because they pile on top of each other to sleep and my little Easter Egger suffocated.  Poor thing.  The boys are mostly responsible for feeding, watering, and letting them in and out of their coop, so I had no idea how big they were!  I weighed one of the meat roosters and he weighed 3.5 pounds!  It's unbelievable how much more dense these little meat birds are.  I weighed a mature Rhode Island Red just for comparison and she only weighed 3.7 pounds.

It's only April...yet...

...yes, the kids went swimming in the pond!  The Pirate joined them and had a blast trying to climb up on the paddle boards.

At one point, IJ jumped off his paddle board and swan to shore.  The Pirate wasn't sure if IJ needed saving or what was going on, so he got a little too excited swimming after IJ.  He got my Mama-Panic on when it looked like he was going to push IJ under, but he only scratched him.  IJ knocked him over the head and told him to, "GO ON!" so at least The Pirate knew his boy was safe.  After that, The Pirate gleefully swam in circles and chased The Pathetic Doberman around the pond.

The Pond Princess

These are F's "Muddy Slippers"

"HAT!"

Now I'm busy experimenting with egg dishes that I can freeze (I've learned my kids prefer a higher egg to milk ratio in quiches and a potato crust instead of a pie crust) and cutting out pattern pieces for pajamas and diapers.  Because I know that it won't be long until I can't reach my sewing machine or get the freezer door open...

The End is Near...

You know the end of the school year is approaching when...

...the pencils are short, stubby, and missing erasers...

...there are more pages on the left side of the math book...

...drawing supplies are getting sparse...

...holes appear on the school book shelf...

...test prep begins for the annual standardized tests...

...and the catalogs come out for next year!

I still have funds available to spend this year and all purchase orders have to be in by May 1st, so I've been busy cookin' up schemes for the rest of the year.  We are quickly coming to the end of our workbooks and curriculum, which is a great feeling!  The bad part is still needing to show that the kids are working 10 hours (E) to 20-25 hours (boys) per week until the end of June, and playing outside doesn't count.  I think we will spend the next two weeks prepping for the MSP test, which takes place the first week of May.  Then we will start a life cycle unit in science while we wrap up American history-there isn't much left that is appropriate for my young kids.  You should have seen the blank stare on S's face when I read about the Cold War.  In June we will do American Folk Lore (including local ghost stories!), Washington State History, and focus on native plants and animals for science.  This will include a membership to the zoo and the native wildlife park, courtesy of the school district.

My plan for next year is due June 1st if I want to be able to order early...and I do!  Nesting isn't just cleaning you know!  I know exactly what I'm doing as far as curriculum goes and I cannot wait to start creating shopping carts online!  In fact, I may start today.  No, no...I must wait until I spend this year's funds...

D: Two Years Old

We celebrated D's birthday on Sunday (two days ago).  The first half of the day was spent running errands while M and the boys had scout hikes.  The second half of the day was spent in two-year-old style!

Playing with Balloons

Watching Sesame Street in his Birthday Suit

Two Year Old Specialty: Temper Tantrum (I touched his balloon)

Cake and Thomas Plate

D was very cute about his cake and candle.  I, of course, recorded the singing and candle blowing, but when it was all over, I realized that I didn't actually push record!  And M spent all that time teaching D how to blow out the candle...and it was funny.  Too bad we missed it.  The second time through (because yes, I said, "Do it again!  I missed it the first time!") the singing and candle blowing was finished in 26 seconds.  The funny funny part was:

Third (or fourth) Lighting of the Candle

D really liked the candle part.  Halfway through licking off the frosting, D pointed to his cake and said, "Daddy, want!"  It took us awhile to figure out he wanted the candle lit again and again.

Then it was on to presents...an orange boat for the tub and some sand toys that we will also put in the tub.

He thought the handle was for blowing bubbles, isn't that cute?  He is just getting cuter and funnier every day.

Today we had to take him in for his two year well baby visit.  He was bored with waiting and said, "Bye-bye! Outside! Daddy! Cookie!" like he was trying any and all possible combination of wants and/or needs to get out of there.  After his two shots, he screamed, "Owie, owie, owie, owie..." over and over until we got outside.  IJ, who was waiting in the reception area with S, said, "We thought that was him screaming."  There is no doubting his ability to communicate his feelings, is there?

Unsolved Mystery: SOLVED!

A long time ago, back when S was a baby, I stored my secret knitting projects (the first Christmas stockings) in The Bar.  The Bar is a piece of furniture that belonged to M's parents and it really is a bar.  The top flips open to reveal a counter top and the insides open to show places to store bottles and hang glasses.

The Bar with a cute blue-eyed boy: June 2005

The best part about storing my secret knitting projects in The Bar was that it locked with a neat old-fashioned key.  I tied a piece of white yarn on the key and kept it safe in a giant barnacle that used to sit on our mantel.  Until it disappeared (after Christmas luckily).  And my knitting supplies were locked in The Bar, including a sweater I had started for S.  This was late 2003, early 2004.

I looked for that key forever.  I had no idea where it went.  I knew I put it someplace safe, but it was so safe I forgot where it was.  And I felt really bad for losing the key to M's parent's bar.  Finally, in 2006, A decided to try and break into The Bar with a butter knife.  We were afraid she would break the bar, so M decided if anyone was going to break it, it would be him.  He succeeded, releasing the sweater that I was just in time to finish before S grew out of it.  I used that bar to hold my craft stuff for years and still do.  But the key never surfaced, even when we packed up and moved here.  I figured it was gone forever if I couldn't find it when we moved!

We have a box stashed away somewhere that is labeled "Keys."  No one knows what these keys go to.  We tried all the old looking keys, and none of them would work with The Bar.  Why we even keep this box of keys is beyond me.  I bet they would make an interesting art project someday.

Today, while in a serious nesting mood, I got on M's case about getting certain areas of the house ready for the new baby: turning the playroom into a bedroom, turning his dad's room into storage...a lot needs to be done to shift our things around and I'm not getting any less pregnant.  While cleaning out a drawer from Grandad's room, I found a tangle of old string and laces.  I almost threw the entire mess away, until I spied a penny taped to what I thought was an old bootlace.  Someone had a lucky penny taped there for a reason.  And no one knows why, which made me sad.  The next tangle of string was a macrame-type bracelet beginning.  And the third tangle was a dirty piece of white yarn.......with a key tied to it.

And it is the key to The Bar!!!

How it got back down here and buried in Grandad's things will always be a mystery.  It almost seems like magic.  But the mystery of where the key is has been solved.  And I can lock my secrets in the bar again!

Twin Firs: Nature Sightings

"Hey YOU! Get off the grass!"

"And YOU! Stop eating the grass seeds!"

My New Favorite Flower

Flashback Friday: Here, before it was Here

I am in the process of going through my old digital pictures and trying to remember the good stories...before I forget them all.  In 2007, we came down Here to celebrate Easter with Grandad.  Here are some great pictures of the yard how it used to be...

The old porch before A and M rebuilt it.  And see that bushy tree on the left?  It used to grow out of a mounded area in the backyard.  Last summer M pulled it out and flattened the mound.  We had no idea that it covered an abandoned septic tank.  Oh? I haven't mentioned the second tank that was discovered during our latest project?  Well, I'll never mention it again either.  And you don't either. 

In this picture, IJ (almost 5 years old) and S (3 1/2) are looking around the rocks for a snake.  The rocks are buried in the abandoned trenches.  Oh? I didn't mention that some our trenches had to be refilled because the county found a teensy tiny bit of clay at the very end?  And the whole drain field had to be moved 20 feet the other direction?  Even though there was nothing but sand under where the actual drain field was?  I'll never mention it again either.  Because the pipes are buried and the story is over.  That beautiful maple on the left was cut down when we first moved here and the stump is in the middle of the pasture, waiting to be burned.

The log the kids are sitting on was turned into benches that reside down by the pond.  The stump is now in the pasture waiting to be burned.  And that beautiful field behind us is where the chicken yard is now!  It's amazing how different everything is!

This entire area has been cleared and flattened.  And replanted with fruit trees.  And we still miss Grandad.

But even though so much has changed...some things remain the same!

Life's a Beach

We went back.  We just can't ignore low tides and spring weather.  This time, M and IJ rode their bikes down and I met them with the rest of the kids and van.  M and IJ have been doing a lot of bike riding together lately; they are loving their special time together.

E decided she was going to go swimming on this trip to the beach.  She got pretty wet, but didn't actually swim.

D was given the D Family Two-year-old Intelligence Test.  All you do is hand the two year old a sand dollar and ask them if they want a cookie.  M has been administering this test since A was the two year old.

D was the first kid to take several bites (all spit out) and cry when his cookie got broken.  The "cookie" you see in the pictures is his second cookie.

A Nose Story

A few minutes ago I heard F cry, "[D] just put a spider leg in his nose!!!"

F is a very inventive little girl, so I wasn't sure if I should believe her.  I looked at D and he was looking a little strange and wrinkling his nose.  He looked like something weird was in his nose.  I asked back and forth between the two of them, "Did you put something in your nose? Did you see him put something in his nose? Is there something in your nose?"  No good answer.  I looked and I could see...something that looked like a big, fat, spider body!!!

A few nights ago, my dearest, sweetest husband saved my life by killing a big, fat spider that had been living behind my dresser, right by the night light (we see a lot of these).  I'm convinced that this spider has a whole network of tunnels behind all the furniture in my bedroom because one night it was by my lamp...all the way on the opposite side of the room (at least I hope there was only one)!  Sometimes that spider would be sitting in the dark, waiting for an unshod toe to flip on the night light switch.  It managed to escape many nights, because the moment I would scream and run to get my hero, the spider would return to its scary lair...until M smacked him and killed him dead...with my hairbrush.  "It was the perfect tool for the job," he said as he put the unwashed brush back in my basket.

Not a picture of D's nose: Wikipedia image

I saw the big, fat spider body shape in my baby's nose and started to panic.  Was it alive? Was it biting him? Oh my goodness, what should I do?  It wasn't like I'd never dealt with foreign objects lodged in noses.  IJ stuffed a crayon piece in his nose at this age.  E used a pea, also at this age.  S has a special story all his own and he was not two years old.  In fact, it was four years ago yesterday that it happened.  (And on a side note, IJ said "Happy bead birthday to you!" to S)  ...So, trying to NOT panic, I tried to reach the object I could see in D's nose.  It scooted up a little further, therefor proving that it was an alive spider.

Luckily the scooting activated D's sneezing reflex, so all I had to do was wait with my hand outstretched.  I received his gift...which was...a petrified banana string wrapped in a ball and not a spider at all.  I was yuckily relieved.

S would like to close this post with a joke he made up: Why was the spider always online? He was checking his website.